Step into the world of innovation and excellence with “Industry Champions”! Join us as we celebrate the trailblazers who are redefining success across diverse industries, sharing their journeys, strategies, and secrets to thriving in competitive landscapes. Today, our host Miranda Gahn spoke with James Thurman.
James Thurman
CEO at Portal Aircraft Company
Website Address: https://portalaircraft.com/
Short company description:
Portal Aircraft Company (PAC) is developing a new class of turbine-powered VTOL aircraft designed for both manned and unmanned operations. PAC’s architecture eliminates batteries, and hybrid complexity in favor of a simple, mechanically robust turbine system that delivers long range, high endurance, and low maintenance. The company is focused on practical, certifiable aircraft that bridge defense, commercial, and general aviation use cases.
What was the most impactful moment of your transition out of the military?
Getting overtime pay for the 1st time
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment was a Navy career that combined operational flying, advanced engineering, and real-world mission planning. Flying as a Naval aviator, teaching aerospace engineering at the Naval Academy, and planning Tomahawk strike missions.
What’s The Biggest Challenge you are facing in your business or industry?
The biggest challenge is scaling fast enough — securing capital, building a full-time team, and compressing development and manufacturing timelines. The demand for practical manned VTOL aircraft is real today, but bringing hardware to market requires upfront investment and experienced people. We’re focused on accelerating execution so proven concepts can move into production as quickly and responsibly as possible.
How do you see your field evolving in the next 3-5 years
Over the next 3–5 years, aviation will move away from headline-driven concepts and toward aircraft that actually operate at scale. We’ll see increased emphasis on range, endurance, maintainability, and certification reality rather than pure electrification. Hybrid and turbine-powered VTOL platforms that can use existing fuel infrastructure and fit into today’s regulatory frameworks will gain momentum, especially for defense, logistics, and owner-operated manned aircraft.
Who in your industry do you see as a trend setter and why
The real trend setters aren’t individual companies as much as a shift in philosophy. The industry is moving away from purely battery-electric concepts toward platforms that can actually operate at scale — using existing fuel infrastructure and fitting into today’s regulatory environment. That shift toward practicality is the most important trend I see.
Transcript:
Miranda:
Welcome to another episode of Aviation Champions. I’m your host today, Miranda Gahn, co-founder and partner at Lex Aviation Law Firm. This morning we’re here with James Thurman. He’s the founder and CEO of Portal Aircraft Company. Good morning, James.
James:
Good morning.
Miranda:
It’s a pleasure to have you here.
James:
Awesome. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Miranda:
So tell us about your company.
James:
Okay. Yeah. So my company is Portal Aircraft Company. Our primary focus right now is on vertical takeoff and land aircraft, VTOL aircraft. We primarily focus on the distributed lift architecture, which means you have distributed rotors instead of a single or dual rotor, a minimum of four. So like a quadcopter configuration or a multicopter configuration.
Where we differentiate from what’s out there right now is our powertrain. The typical systems you see are either battery powered or battery hybrid powered, some combination of a battery and electric generator, a hybrid type system using distributed electric motors. Our system is a little different in that our power source is a gas turbine engine, and actually distributed turbines instead.
The reason why you would do that is it greatly simplifies the system. It also gives you the key benefits you want in an aircraft. Number one, you can have long range and long endurance because of the energy density in fuel instead of a battery. It also gives you an extremely high payload-to-weight ratio because it’s an extremely light powertrain. It’s not an actual mechanical powertrain, so it’s extremely lightweight and mechanically simple. That means very low maintenance.
Another issue today, especially on the modern battlefield in military terms, is resistance to electromagnetic attack. Because it’s not an electric powertrain, that gives you an advantage there as well. So those are the key areas where we stand out versus what’s currently out there.
Miranda:
That is really impressive. What’s planned for your company? What are your goals and objectives for the year?
James:
The next big thing is we’ve got an Army Phase One SBIR contract that’s about to start pretty soon. That came from winning the XTechSearch competition. Only 24 companies out of 840-plus companies won that. It was a very hard competition to win.
We’re going to start working on that soon. At the same time, we received our first round of investment from the Cowtown Seed Group. That’s helping us get ahead of the contract and work on our first MVP, minimum viable product drone, which we plan to get out this summer. Those are the main things we’re working on right now.
Miranda:
That’s incredibly impressive. How did you get into aviation?
James:
I think I always loved aviation. I was invited to go to Tuskegee University when I was younger and thought about the Tuskegee Airmen. I decided I wanted to go there and start working toward becoming a military pilot. I eventually became a Naval aviator and flew over a thousand hours with the Navy.
I had an amazing time doing that and never turned back. I even had my private pilot’s license before joining the Navy. I’ve been flying since I was 19 years old, and as you can see behind me, I’m still flying. I’ve never stopped.
Miranda:
What aircraft did you fly for the Navy?
James:
I primarily flew the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter. I had a great time and flew a lot of fun missions while I was in.
Miranda:
Thank you so much for your service. Did you go to school for engineering?
James:
Yes. I did my undergrad at the University of Texas at Arlington in aerospace engineering. For graduate school, I went to the Air Force Institute of Technology and earned two master’s degrees, one in space systems and one in aeronautical engineering.
That, combined with my aviation experience flying helicopters, airplanes, and owning airplanes, led to the design I have for this aircraft. My real passion is helicopters, but they’re not practical for most aircraft owners. I liked the simplicity of electric VTOL systems but wanted the range and endurance of a fuel-powered aircraft. My experience dealing with maintenance and downtime led to the design.
Miranda:
How long did it take to go from concept to prototype?
James:
It took years. My original design was a bit different. What changed was technology. Gas turbine engines used to be extremely expensive, but that’s changed. You can now get them at relatively low cost.
Additive manufacturing also changed everything. When I saw we could 3D print metal parts, I realized my design was feasible. Most of our main parts are designed to be additively manufactured.
Miranda:
What do you foresee in the next couple of years?
James:
We’re going to execute Phase One SBIR, then move to Phase Two and build a Group Three-style drone for the Army. Before that, we’re building a Group Two drone and plan to market it to the Army and other military services. We’re actively talking to special operations forces as well.
In addition to military drones, we’re looking at building manned aircraft. That’s part of why we’re seeking investment. We see a very big market for manned aircraft. We plan to start with ultralight and two-seater aircraft to tap into the recreational aviation market.
Miranda:
What have been your biggest challenges?
James:
Initially, it was mindset. A year ago, most people believed vertical takeoff and landing aircraft had to be electric. Now people see the limitations of battery-powered systems, and minds are opening.
The biggest challenge now is manpower. With our initial investment and Army contract, we’ll be hiring soon. The challenge is finding the right people with the smartest minds and strong work ethic to produce what we’re building.
Miranda:
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
James:
We have a new vertical takeoff and land architecture that’s gaining traction. We’re on a path to produce this in the next year or so. You’re going to see it on the market. For those looking for VTOL aircraft, give us a look and see what we can do for you.
Miranda:
Where can they find you?
James:
PortalAircraft.com. You can find us there.
Miranda:
It was wonderful having you, James. We look forward to inviting you back after you’ve progressed further and can share updates.
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